Resonance
by blackwolfmajik
Summary: Emperor Arcann pulls the Outlander from carbonite early to propose an alliance against the ambitions of his sister, Vaylin. They might just end up saving the galaxy, if they don't kill each other first... Outlander Darth Imperious Inlérah (long fic that has been several years in the making - rating will go up)


**Resonance**

**Rating:** M for violence, mature situations

**AN: **For reference, Inlérah is a human (LS) Sith Sorcerer with black hair and gold eyes.

* * *

Collapsed on the icy floor and shaking, Inlérah coughed hard enough to feel blood trickle from her nose. Her mouth felt like it was full of ashes and she spat to rid her tongue of the taste.

Would that the chaos in her mind was banished so easily.

Moments earlier, Inlé had been wandering through a desolate mindscape of memories and shadowy Force-laden futures. Emperor Valkorion's spirit had followed close behind, still bearing the fatal scorch marks she had burned through his armor. He seemed dismissive of the fact that she had murdered him, choosing to focus on his own son as the ultimate architect of his demise. That still didn't keep Valkorion from trying to pick at her sanity, tempting her with promises of power and vengeance.

Inlé had stood defiant through the ghostly ordeal, fighting spectral enemies and refusing to ask for help even at the brink of her own destruction.

Then they came to a place where her ship, _Fury_, and its crew were surrounded by an ambush.

Like a defective holo, the scene was frozen and Inlé's stomach sank as she calculated the odds stacked against her people.

**_The ageless fiend, an embittered pirate, an impure Jedi, your worshipful academic, and a blood thirsty zealot. They outlived their purpose long ago, yet you permit them to live..._**

The Emperor's assessment of the rag-tag band of misfits she had collected was correct. However, they had grown into a family more dear to her than anyone from her distant childhood. Inlé's gaze lingered over the tattooed face of the 'pirate', Andronikos. "I'm not yet in the habit of murdering those I love."

**_Love withers when it is neglected. Left alone too long, love will seek another..._**

Valkorion sounded strange, his voice laced with an emotion too close to regret to be possible. Before she could question him on it, something drew the Emperor's attention. Inlé had an instant to see his look of surprise before she was yanked brutally from the Force vision.

The sudden disorientation of moving from one plane to another left her feeling drained and confused. Inlé tried to remain calm, but panic rocketed through her as she realized she was blind.

"Relax. The hibernation sickness will pass," came a cold and all too familiar voice.

"Acrann," Inlé croaked.

"I see you remember me. Good."

"Good?" She coughed again, trying to cover up her dismay. "I can...think of many things I would say are '_good_'. This is not one of them."

"Such disrespect for the one who rescued you from an eternity in limbo," he said dryly.

"You used me to kill your father!"

"True. You were a convenient answer to a perplexing dilemma I had been facing for some time. You may be pleased to know that our collaboration has borne much fruit since then."

"Treachery tends to be profitable." Her mouth twisted sourly: "At least in the _beginning,_ anyway. Trust is never the same after the first betrayal."

"Trust is for children. Respect and fear are what balance the universe."

She scoffed. "You would do well on the Dark Council."

"Perhaps. The invasion of your home worlds is already under way. When it is complete, there will be no councils, dark or otherwise. There will only be _Zakuul_. I will stand as sole leader of the Eternal Empire."

"You sound just like Vitiate, always posturing."

"Vitiate? Are you referring to Valkorion?" The Force snapped like razors against her skin. "You do not know my father, Outlander. Do not speak of him again."

Inlé reached for her own connection to the Force to defend herself, but the hibernation sickness had affected her mental faculties as well as her physical ones.

Unable to concentrate on a barrier, the pressure against her body grew, making her hiss in pain. The smothering weight vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"You should not make me angry," Arcann muttered, the sounds of his boots began pacing nearby.

Inlé collapsed on the floor, seething from her unaccustomed vulnerability. In an effort to buy time and distract him from the previous volatile line of conversation, she asked: "What is this place?"

"The Carbonite Gallery, where all of Zakuul's most dangerous criminals are displayed as a warning to others who might consider following their example. Your companion's body is here as well." Arcann sounded bored, like he was lecturing a child on droid mechanics.

"Darth Marr is dead then?"

"If that was his name."

Inlé tried to ignore the sharp tug in her chest. Marr had been her closest ally on the Dark Council: a warrior of strength and integrity who had believed that they could save the galaxy together. "He died on his feet, a hero to the Empire." She struggled to stand, anger giving strength to her rubbery limbs: "Do you mean to kill _me_ now? Honorless cowards strike at a weakened foe."

Arcann paused, then laughed. "Is that what you think I am here to do?"

Still blind, physically and to the Force, Inlé could only follow the sounds of his movement. "You didn't thaw me out to discuss practical experiences of carbonite freezing."

"No," he sounded thoughtful.

"Then what do you want? Is it to let me go?" Her tone dripped with sarcasm. "Fantastic, I appreciate that-"

"No," he said again, this time in an annoyed growl. "I have a proposition for you."

"For _me_? What now? You need me to stab more of your relatives?"

"Possibly...My sister, Vaylin...she means to take my throne for herself."

"Of course she does."

Arcann's clothing rustled in apparent surprise.

"Your father showed me."

A strange noise drifted to her ears: robotic fingers clicking together in a kind of nervous twitch.

"When you are more coherent, I will ask you what that means. Carbonite has been known to cause...damage."

Inlé felt a chill run through her veins at his choice of words. The idea that the difficulty with her powers may be more than temporary was too terrifying to imagine.

"I have been studying you, Outlander," Acrann continued slowly. "The invasion of your home worlds has brought stories of the many feats you have accomplished. Your name is well known. _Darth Imperious Inlérah of House Kallig_. You are feared and, in some places, nearly _worshiped_. There are even claims that you found a way to stabilize a dying planet." The sneer in his voice was palpable. "A most impressive resume for anyone, let alone a heathen stranger so young."

Unease coiled tighter in Inlé's gut. "Am I supposed to say 'thank you'?"

"If you wish. It matters not to me if you are even half of what they say you are. My sister's power is...incredible and she is utterly without scruples as to how she wields it. An alliance between you and I would ensure that my sister would be reluctant to depose me."

"An _alliance_? You arranged for me to assassinate your father and now you are saying you can't hold onto the throne? You ruined my life for _nothing_?"

"Your life _was _nothing before you killed Valkorion! I am offering you a chance to serve the new Empire." He moved close enough that she could feel the brush of his coat against her leg. "Or would you rather hang on the wall as a _trophy _for all eternity?"

Inlé glared in his direction as best she could. This was an _opportunity_. No matter how repugnant it might be, she needed time to devise a plan of escape and suitable revenge.

**_Time for _both _of us to reclaim what is ours, child..._**

"Fine." She tried to ignore Vitiate's triumphant chuckle in the back of her skull. "Get me out of here."

"So we are agreed?"

"Agreed...for now."

The tyrant's firm grip on her arm kept Inlé steady as she tried to get her legs to work properly. "Won't anyone notice that I'm not frozen anymore?"

The grated walkway echoing strangely under her feet, as if they were in a vast room with many objects surrounding them. Inlé urged her eyesight to return faster. Her chances of escape were slim to none if all Arcann had to do was pick her up after she tripped.

"Only a handful of my household know what you truly look like. A different 'Outlander' will be put on display for the masses and none will be the wiser."

"What...what of the other survivors from the battle?"

"Battle?" he scoffed. "If you could see, you would know what happened to them."

That explained the odd echoes. Inlé's stomach churned, imagining the carbonite blocks looming around them. The familiar faces locked in open screams...

No. She had ordered her crew to leave well before the battle ended. Her husband was an unparalleled captain. Andronikos would have gotten the _Fury_ clear and was likely back to Korriban by now. Safe.

"How long have I been frozen?"

"Does it matter? Everyone who knows who you are is either dead or gone. No one is coming to your rescue."

"When I'm free and standing over your bleeding carcass, I'll remember you said that."

Acrann's chuckle was disturbingly like his father's. "Keep that spirit as long as you can, it makes the challenge of breaking you more satisfying."

"Then settle in for a long fight. I didn't fall to Vitiate's charms, and you aren't _half_ the man he is-"

Inlé felt the world spin for a moment before a metal fist cracked across her jaw.

Ears ringing as she fell to the floor, the Sith's last thoughts were to wondered how _"Darth Imperious: Killed by her Smart Mouth"_ would look carved on her gravestone.

* * *

_Irreverent, stubborn, rude- _Arcann seethed as he glared down at the unconscious Outlander._ No one has spoken to me in such a manner, **ever**._

_How could I think this will even work? __I will end up killing her **myself **if she continues to be difficult!_

He sighed, scrubbing at his scalp in irritation.

_This has to work. The alternative is...unimaginable._

Checking to be sure she was still asleep, he grabbed the Sith's wrist to sling her up over his shoulder and carried her to the holding cell he had especially prepared.

* * *

_**AN:** Finally! it's the beginning of the huge Inlé fic I had been working on for years. I can't guarantee timely updates, but I have quite a bit already written for this (just not in publishing order yet). _

_Please read and review to let me know what you think, :)_


End file.
